Öhlin/D Can Make All of Your Whimsical Fashion Dreams Come True

Anne Deane and Jacob Park founded ÖHLIN/D in September of 2013 and are helping put the fun in "fash-un." Deane, a Duke grad, started out in finance before going off the grid to Latin America where she became interested in conscious manufacturing. After wrangling her stylist friend Park to join her fashion mission, the Nordic-named brand was born—responsibly, of course.

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Part of what drives ÖHLIN/D is social and environmental consciousness, by sourcing high quality materials from vendors that adhere to positive, "do no harm" environmental and animal cruelty-free standards. Consider it millennially minded fashion—where cool is of the highest importance, but not at the expense of the global well-being.

HB: Why was it important to you for the brand to be ethically made and sourced?

Anne Deane: I believe fashion choices should reflect and uphold our individual values and mirror who we are as a people. Ever since I was a little girl, I have always had deep respect for both human rights and the environment. Tying those two entities within my love for fashion was the catalyst for dreaming up a brand that placed equal emphasis on designing beautiful, high quality clothing and maintaining a high ethical integrity within our manufacturing and sourcing practices. There's a huge shift that occurs when wearing something that you know is the result of sustainable choices —personally, it makes me feel more empowered and grateful for what I have.

How do you maintain that level of responsibility while keeping your business healthy?

Jacob Park: We are constantly evolving our efforts to maintain a conscious company. Constantly making new connections and figuring out new and different ways of doing things. The truth is that making quality clothing using methods that don't hurt people or the environment is not cheap. The hardest part is just re-thinking the way the industry has conditioned everyone to operate up until now. I really think that especially at this moment in time, we have an extremely warped sense of what it costs to make quality clothing.

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What prompted you to launch Öhlin/D?

Anne: Two reasons: First, I wanted to spark change and challenge current ethical norms accepted within the fashion industry—set a new standard that can achieve real fashion and conscious manufacturing at an advanced contemporary price-point. Second, I felt as though there was a gap in the marketplace for something visually different and bold, yet beautiful and happy. I miss the edge of past decades where women celebrated and basked in the liberty of being unique and special. I wanted to fill that void.

Courtesy Öhlin/D

How would you describe the aesthetic of the brand?

Jacob: The aesthetic thrives off fantasy and manifests itself in a playful and easily wearable form. It's sort of always evolving because each season we collaborate with a new artist. We feel really strongly about spotlighting our contemporaries and reinterpreting the things that inspire us into wearable pieces.

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Are there particular cultures or people who inspire you?

Jacob: Definitely Anime and elements of Japanese culture are always a heavy influence and have been for me at least since I was very young. I'm also constantly looking at art. I know people have a lot of opinions about whether or not art and fashion share the same space, but in my head they really do. Anne and I also both come from really strong literary backgrounds, and I think that gives us a lot of inspiration. Each new collection usually begins with some kind of bizarre verbal interaction.

Who is the girl you have in mind?

Jacob: There is this Susan Sontag quote that says "I'm only interested in people engaged in a project of self-transformation."

We make clothing for people who are comfortable re-inventing themselves and contradicting themselves. Style doesn't necessarily mean always looking the same; it means being authentic and interested in self-growth and playing with your identity.

Anne: Well I guess the main objective is to sell clothes and have good margins! So understanding budgeting and finance really comes in handy. But I think overall my business background really helps with problem solving and being able to take a step back and look at the macro and then micro picture.

Jacob: Because I'm constantly thinking about styling, it helps me maintain perspective on the potential of a collection as one whole breathing entity and how its going to function when it's finally on the body. Sometimes it's easy to lose that vision when you are involved in so many little details.

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Tell us about the name? How do you pronounce it and what does it mean?

Anne: euh / lin / Dee. It's a family name.

What are your thoughts on the backlash on having designers produce so many collections per year?

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